Does this sound like your child? He gets good grades in school but seems puzzled by simple directions. She speaks intelligently yet gets lost on the way to the bathroom in a new house. You often have to call your son’s name several times before he turns to look at you and when that doesn’t work, tapping him on the shoulder startles him out of his skin?

Your son is often preoccupied to the point of obsession with one specific topic. Your daughter talks endlessly, doesn’t seem to understand the concept of listening and becomes tearful or agitated when interrupted. Some of the things she says simply make no sense at all!

What about eye contact? Does your daughter stare at others to the point of being rude? Does your son avoid eye contact and refuse to show respect?

Your first thought may have been that your child has a learning disability but tests prove he or she is actually of high intelligence! You may have then suspected hearing was the problem but those tests have come back with a perfect score. Your child often complains of stomach pain but his pediatrician tells you there’s nothing physically wrong with him. At this point, you may have believed the cause to be an emotional disorder or chemical imbalance but the psychiatrist you’ve taken your child to says he can find nothing wrong either and suggests perhaps this is just “attention-seeking behavior”.

Maybe he’s right. The stomachaches aren’t real; they’re just an attempt to get attention. Your daughter is just “acting dumb” by losing her way or misplacing objects. Your son stares at others to intimidate. He just needs more discipline, right?

Wrong.

I can tell you right now that there is a reason your child is acting this way. There is an explanation for the staring or lack of eye contact, the stomach pain, the confusion about social cues, the easy startle reflex and everything else.